Design ideas for a small traditional full sun front yard stone raised garden bed in Toronto for summer.

Photo of a small traditional full sun front yard stone raised garden bed in Toronto for summer.

Elegant and Refined Kitchen Overlooking Brisbane River.⁠ ⁠ This stunning Bulimba home was a complete with a crisp and clean Kitchens by Kathie renovation. The design was kept streamlined and light so not to distract from the home art museum it is surrounded by. This minimalist design allows the paintings and views of Brisbane River to steal the show. ⁠The bright and monochromatic kitchen is perfectly paired with vibrant rugs and complimented by a stunning art wall.⁠ We adore the clean lines and minimalist hand to this renovation. Designer Ebony did a fantastic job creating a functional yet streamlined layout that suited all of the clients needs.⁠

Paul Finkel | Piston Design
Mid-sized trendy front yard rectangular and gravel pool photo in Austin

Windows overlooking Wychmere Harbor on a custom coastal home on Cape Cod by Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders. Wychmere Rise is in a village that surrounds three small harbors. Wychmere Harbor, a commercial fishing port as well as a beloved base for recreation, is at the center. A view of the harbor—and its famous skyline of Shingle Style homes, inns, and fishermans’ shacks—is coveted. Scope Of Work: Architecture, Construction / Living Space: 4,573ft² / Photography: Brian Vanden Brink

Michael J Lee Photography
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized traditional medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen idea in Boston with an undermount sink, beaded inset cabinets, blue cabinets, marble countertops, gray backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Joe Fletcher Atop a ridge in the Santa Lucia mountains of Carmel, California, an oak tree stands elevated above the fog and wrapped at its base in this ranch retreat. The weekend home’s design grew around the 100-year-old Valley Oak to form a horseshoe-shaped house that gathers ridgeline views of Oak, Madrone, and Redwood groves at its exterior and nestles around the tree at its center. The home’s orientation offers both the shade of the oak canopy in the courtyard and the sun flowing into the great room at the house’s rear façades. This modern take on a traditional ranch home offers contemporary materials and landscaping to a classic typology. From the main entry in the courtyard, one enters the home’s great room and immediately experiences the dramatic westward views across the 70 foot pool at the house’s rear. In this expansive public area, programmatic needs flow and connect - from the kitchen, whose windows face the courtyard, to the dining room, whose doors slide seamlessly into walls to create an outdoor dining pavilion. The primary circulation axes flank the internal courtyard, anchoring the house to its site and heightening the sense of scale by extending views outward at each of the corridor’s ends. Guest suites, complete with private kitchen and living room, and the garage are housed in auxiliary wings connected to the main house by covered walkways. Building materials including pre-weathered corrugated steel cladding, buff limestone walls, and large aluminum apertures, and the interior palette of cedar-clad ceilings, oil-rubbed steel, and exposed concrete floors soften the modern aesthetics into a refined but rugged ranch home.

This renovation project of a 1920s home included a kitchen, bar/mudroom, laundry room, guest bathroom and primary bathroom. This home, located in the Virginia Highland neighborhood of Atlanta, had an unusual layout and a good bit of unused space. The two main goals were to bring the outdated spaces to suit modern living standards, and to better utilize the space.

Example of a mid-sized classic backyard brick patio design in Columbus with a fire pit and a roof extension

The design of this home was driven by the owners’ desire for a three-bedroom waterfront home that showcased the spectacular views and park-like setting. As nature lovers, they wanted their home to be organic, minimize any environmental impact on the sensitive site and embrace nature. This unique home is sited on a high ridge with a 45° slope to the water on the right and a deep ravine on the left. The five-acre site is completely wooded and tree preservation was a major emphasis. Very few trees were removed and special care was taken to protect the trees and environment throughout the project. To further minimize disturbance, grades were not changed and the home was designed to take full advantage of the site’s natural topography. Oak from the home site was re-purposed for the mantle, powder room counter and select furniture. The visually powerful twin pavilions were born from the need for level ground and parking on an otherwise challenging site. Fill dirt excavated from the main home provided the foundation. All structures are anchored with a natural stone base and exterior materials include timber framing, fir ceilings, shingle siding, a partial metal roof and corten steel walls. Stone, wood, metal and glass transition the exterior to the interior and large wood windows flood the home with light and showcase the setting. Interior finishes include reclaimed heart pine floors, Douglas fir trim, dry-stacked stone, rustic cherry cabinets and soapstone counters. Exterior spaces include a timber-framed porch, stone patio with fire pit and commanding views of the Occoquan reservoir. A second porch overlooks the ravine and a breezeway connects the garage to the home. Numerous energy-saving features have been incorporated, including LED lighting, on-demand gas water heating and special insulation. Smart technology helps manage and control the entire house. Greg Hadley Photography

Coronado, CA The Alameda Residence is situated on a relatively large, yet unusually shaped lot for the beachside community of Coronado, California. The orientation of the “L” shaped main home and linear shaped guest house and covered patio create a large, open courtyard central to the plan. The majority of the spaces in the home are designed to engage the courtyard, lending a sense of openness and light to the home. The aesthetics take inspiration from the simple, clean lines of a traditional “A-frame” barn, intermixed with sleek, minimal detailing that gives the home a contemporary flair. The interior and exterior materials and colors reflect the bright, vibrant hues and textures of the seaside locale.

This award-winning and intimate cottage was rebuilt on the site of a deteriorating outbuilding. Doubling as a custom jewelry studio and guest retreat, the cottage’s timeless design was inspired by old National Parks rough-stone shelters that the owners had fallen in love with. A single living space boasts custom built-ins for jewelry work, a Murphy bed for overnight guests, and a stone fireplace for warmth and relaxation. A cozy loft nestles behind rustic timber trusses above. Expansive sliding glass doors open to an outdoor living terrace overlooking a serene wooded meadow. Photos by: Emily Minton Redfield

Forget just one room with a view—Lochley has almost an entire house dedicated to capturing nature’s best views and vistas. Make the most of a waterside or lakefront lot in this economical yet elegant floor plan, which was tailored to fit a narrow lot and has more than 1,600 square feet of main floor living space as well as almost as much on its upper and lower levels. A dovecote over the garage, multiple peaks and interesting roof lines greet guests at the street side, where a pergola over the front door provides a warm welcome and fitting intro to the interesting design. Other exterior features include trusses and transoms over multiple windows, siding, shutters and stone accents throughout the home’s three stories. The water side includes a lower-level walkout, a lower patio, an upper enclosed porch and walls of windows, all designed to take full advantage of the sun-filled site. The floor plan is all about relaxation – the kitchen includes an oversized island designed for gathering family and friends, a u-shaped butler’s pantry with a convenient second sink, while the nearby great room has built-ins and a central natural fireplace. Distinctive details include decorative wood beams in the living and kitchen areas, a dining area with sloped ceiling and decorative trusses and built-in window seat, and another window seat with built-in storage in the den, perfect for relaxing or using as a home office. A first-floor laundry and space for future elevator make it as convenient as attractive. Upstairs, an additional 1,200 square feet of living space include a master bedroom suite with a sloped 13-foot ceiling with decorative trusses and a corner natural fireplace, a master bath with two sinks and a large walk-in closet with built-in bench near the window. Also included is are two additional bedrooms and access to a third-floor loft, which could functions as a third bedroom if needed. Two more bedrooms with walk-in closets and a bath are found in the 1,300-square foot lower level, which also includes a secondary kitchen with bar, a fitness room overlooking the lake, a recreation/family room with built-in TV and a wine bar perfect for toasting the beautiful view beyond.

Curved staircase and second-floor balcony overlook from a Mediterranean estate remodel in Newport Coast. Coastline Builders Group built the staircase with wide plank treads, a paneled stringer, and a custom geometric iron railing that continues along the upstairs gallery — a modern rectilinear pattern set against the home's classic arched architecture. The stair curves past open sightlines to the pool on one side and the kitchen beyond.

Round breakfast room surrounded by windows for light overlooking the backyard. The room accommodates a large 72 inch wood dining table that comfortably seats 6 to 8 people. The table has 6 upholstered chairs and a beautiful round blue and white area rug that adds color and interest to the breakfast area. Along the back wall each of the large windows are separated with light sheer panels that soften the space but also do not block the sunlight.

Inspiration for a transitional marble floor freestanding bathtub remodel in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops and gray walls

Walls of windows, IPE wood, and natural stone give this home overlooking the 12th fairway an organic soft contemporary feel. With stunning views from each room I focused on bringing the outdoors in as much as possible. I kept the furnishing more streamlined so they would not compete with the architecture but compliment it instead. The steel front door opens to the living and dining area with a massive wall of windows with views of the infinity edge pool and golf course. The dining area looks in the the sunken wine room showcasing their grand collection of wines. Photographer: Charles Lauersdorf, Realty Pro Shots

Elegant and Refined Kitchen Overlooking Brisbane River.⁠ ⁠ This stunning Bulimba home was a complete with a crisp and clean Kitchens by Kathie renovation. The design was kept streamlined and light so not to distract from the home art museum it is surrounded by. This minimalist design allows the paintings and views of Brisbane River to steal the show. ⁠The bright and monochromatic kitchen is perfectly paired with vibrant rugs and complimented by a stunning art wall.⁠ We adore the clean lines and minimalist hand to this renovation. Designer Ebony did a fantastic job creating a functional yet streamlined layout that suited all of the clients needs.⁠

Photographer: Jay Goodrich This 2800 sf single-family home was completed in 2009. The clients desired an intimate, yet dynamic family residence that reflected the beauty of the site and the lifestyle of the San Juan Islands. The house was built to be both a place to gather for large dinners with friends and family as well as a cozy home for the couple when they are there alone. The project is located on a stunning, but cripplingly-restricted site overlooking Griffin Bay on San Juan Island. The most practical area to build was exactly where three beautiful old growth trees had already chosen to live. A prior architect, in a prior design, had proposed chopping them down and building right in the middle of the site. From our perspective, the trees were an important essence of the site and respectfully had to be preserved. As a result we squeezed the programmatic requirements, kept the clients on a square foot restriction and pressed tight against property setbacks. The delineate concept is a stone wall that sweeps from the parking to the entry, through the house and out the other side, terminating in a hook that nestles the master shower. This is the symbolic and functional shield between the public road and the private living spaces of the home owners. All the primary living spaces and the master suite are on the water side, the remaining rooms are tucked into the hill on the road side of the wall. Off-setting the solid massing of the stone walls is a pavilion which grabs the views and the light to the south, east and west. Built in a position to be hammered by the winter storms the pavilion, while light and airy in appearance and feeling, is constructed of glass, steel, stout wood timbers and doors with a stone roof and a slate floor. The glass pavilion is anchored by two concrete panel chimneys; the windows are steel framed and the exterior skin is of powder coated steel sheathing.